"Boom!"
The explosion was small, just a quick burst of sound and force that left everything around them completely unhard.
Yet the mont it happened, a sudden, stabbing pain slamd into Julius’s chest like a hidden blade.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!" Julius bent forward sharply, one hand pressed hard against his mouth as violent coughs tore out of him.
Rosalina, who had been standing right beside him, rushed forward without hesitation.
She gently caught his shoulder, turning his face toward hers with careful hands.
"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice tight with worry as she saw how deathly pale his face had beco.
A thin line of blood showed at the corner of his mouth, fresh evidence of the backlash that had struck him.
Julius wiped the blood away quickly with the back of his hand and gave her a small, reassuring nod.
The pain had not been overwhelming, but it had hit one of the most delicate parts inside him, his core.
Even the lightest touch there sent ripples of agony through his body, forcing the coughs out before he could stop them.
The Lone King watched quietly from the side, his expression calm but concerned.
"You should rest a bit before trying again," he suggested, his tone steady.
But Julius did not stop. Ti was already slipping away from him, and every full refinent took two to three long hours.
It was better to push forward without pause.
He gently moved Rosalina’s hand from his shoulder and turned back toward the furnace, forcing his focus into place once more.
She stepped back slowly, her brows creasing into a deep, worried frown as she watched the materials begin to fly forward again.
All of them lifted and stread toward the furnace, one after another, including the massive bear carcass at the very end.
Its heavy body cut through the air with surprising speed before dropping inside.
’7000°C,’ Julius thought.
The temperature inside the furnace climbed sharply, and the bright blue flas roared higher in response.
His body still trembled faintly from the earlier backlash, a subtle shake that ran through his arms and hands.
The Lone King noticed it right away and spoke in a soft, careful voice.
"The calr you are, the better your chances will be. Calm your mind and don’t let restlessness take over."
Julius heard the words clearly, but his mind was already steady.
The shaking in his hands ca only from the leftover effects of that first painful strike, not from any nervousness.
’Phew.’ Julius let the required ti pass, breathing slowly, then lowered the heat with focused will. ’3000°C.’
A light ripple appeared across the surface of the furnace, like a stone dropped into still water.
He stared at it intently, waiting until the mont felt exactly right. Then... 2000°C.
1000°C.
500°C.
100°C.
And at last, the most dangerous part arrived once more.
Julius drew in a long, steady breath and locked his eyes on the furnace. He knew it was almost impossible to succeed on only the second try.
Still, the thought of suffering through a hundred more backlashes like this made his stomach tighten.
Even the first one had left his face pale and drained.
The pain had been sharp and vicious, like a brutal kick straight to the most sensitive spot, intense for only a few seconds, yet hard to forget.
He glanced sideways at the Lone King for a brief second.
His own face stayed completely blank, no emotion showing. Then he looked back at the furnace and withdrew his gaze.
He thought the words with slow, deliberate care.
0°C.
And right after...10000°C.
"Boom!"
Another explosion ripped through the furnace, another failure. This ti Julius was ready.
In the split second the blast hit, he instantly severed every mana connection to his core, faster than a blink of an eye. It was just enough.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!" Fresh coughs tore out of him.
He bit down hard on the tip of his tongue and spat out a mouthful of blood.
Then he slowly reached down and pinched the left side of his waist. His face drained of color in an instant.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!" Another violent fit shook him as more blood spilled from his lips.
Rosalina hurried over right away and grabbed his shoulders.
"Are you okay?" Her face had gone completely pale with worry.
She rubbed slow circles on his back and gently wiped the blood from his mouth with her fingers.
"If you want to withdraw... there’s no need to keep going," she said, her voice trembling with concern.
The Lone King watched from the side, calm as ever.
"There won’t be any lasting harm to your core," he said, his tone steady and composed, his eyes blank.
"But if you can bear the pain, you will be able to refine a celestial grade treasure."
Julius gave him a small nod. He turned to Rosalina and spoke softly.
"I’ll be fine." A gentle smile touched his lips as he leaned in and kissed her forehead.
"Now let concentrate," he said quietly.
He stepped back toward the furnace and began the process once more.
The process repeated again and.....
0°c
10000°c
"Boom!" It failed again, the third also failed and Julius again repeated what he did the second ti.
...
...
5th try.
0°C.
10000°C.
Boom!
Failure again. Julius coughed hard, each try leaving his face a little paler.
Rosalina stayed right beside him, pale with worry, rubbing his back every ti the pain hit.
The Lone King watched silently from the side, showing no reaction as failure followed failure.
...
...
27th try.
0°C.
10000°C.
Julius stared, heart tight. The expected explosion did not co.
He did not relax. Instead he began counting in his head, every number heavy with focus and exhaustion.
’One...’ Nothing. The Lone King leaned closer, eyes locked on the furnace.
Rosalina kept rubbing his back, too worried to feel hope.
Two.
The explosion hit.
Julius coughed out fresh blood. This ti the pain burned deeper, sharper, like fire inside his chest.
...
...
He kept going.
At the 50th try he lasted three full seconds before it failed.
At the 70th try he reached six seconds.
At the 88th try he made it to eight.
Each ti the backlash tore through him harder. Each ti he pushed forward anyway.
...
...
96th try.
Julius’s eyes had turned cloudy. His breathing ca rough and heavy. His cheeks looked hollow, his lips dry and cracked.
Every breath hurt. Every heartbeat felt like it carried the weight of all the failed attempts.
"You are close," the Lone King said. His voice stayed mostly flat, but a faint lift of excitent slipped through.
Rosalina leaned in, her face just as pale as his. "You can still withdraw..." she whispered.
Julius shook his head slowly. "No. I’ve already co this far. Too much ti has passed. We won’t gain anything if I stop now."
He gave her a tired, ssy smile and gently rubbed her cheek with trembling fingers.
He turned back to the furnace.
All the materials flew in once more. He pulled his scattered focus together with everything he had left.
7000°C.
The blue flas roared high.
3000°C.
2000°C.
1000°C.
500°C.
100°C.
Then the mont that decided everything.
0°C...
10000°C.
One... His mind stayed locked, refusing to waver despite the exhaustion pulling at him.
Two...
Three...
Four...
Five...
Six...
Seven...
Eight...
Everyone’s attention froze on the furnace. Hearts pounded. Rosalina prayed silently, ’Please... please...’ She no longer cared about the treasure...only that Julius would be okay. But he kept going.
Julius stared with wide, bloodshot eyes. He was about to count nine when....
Bam!!
A loud crash echoed from the door.
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